Dayton School Board Will Not Renew Superintendent's Contract

The employment status of two high-ranking Dayton Public Schools administrators is now up in the air.

Dayton’s School Board elected not to renew the contracts of Superintendent Lori Ward and Treasurer Craig Jones at a meeting last night. The board can still opt to bring the two back under new contracts.

School Board member John McManus said the decision is a step in the negotiation process.

“Last night was not the firing of anybody. Last night was simply the non-renewal of the contract of our two chief employees in their current form.”

Attempts to contact Ward were not successful.

The move comes during a turbulent time for Dayton Public Schools. The district is at risk of a state takeover due to poor student performance on state exams.